Segregating and weighing machine



April 5, 1949. A. R. CURIONI SEGREGATING AND WEIGHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LII/[10111111111111 VEN R. fllaa if? farm:

firm/ME) SEGfiEGATlNG AND WEIGHING MACHINE Aldo R. Curionl, New York, N. Y., asslgnor to Barloni Company, Inc.,New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 25, 1943, Serial No. 503,861 6 Claims. (01. 198-52) The present invention relates to devices for v weighing and packaging macaroni and similar products and more particularly to an improved machine for segregating and weighing predetermined quantities thereof.

Macaroni and similar products are difllcult to handle with automatic machinery by reason of their brittle and breakable nature and because of the dimculty in segregating small portions of them. The macaroni tends to clog the machine or to be broken by it. The present invention aims to provide an improved machine for effectively removing macaroni and similar products from a bin or receptacle and segregating predetermined quantities for delivery to packages or to packaging machinery.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for separating and weighing macaroni and similar products.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism for removing the macaroni at a substantially uniform rate from. a bin.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism for delivery of macaroni to a weighing device.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved weighing device for macaroni and like products.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through the machine illustrating the operation thereof and details of parts of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 giving a top plan view of parts of the interior of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of an improved conveyor belt;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 8----@ of Fig; 3illustrating details of the construction of the conveyor belt; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of another embodi- :ment of a delivery mechanism.

Referring again to the drawings illustrating a I preferred embodiment of the invention and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, there is shown a segregating and weighing machine for macaroni and like products having a frame I and cover partially enclosing the working parts of the machine. An electric motor 2 is mounted on the base of the machine and has a gear 4 on its shaft meshing with a gear 5 on shaft 6 mounted in suitable bearings and having a worm gear I at its opposite end meshing with a gear 8 on shaft 9. The shaft 9 has secured to it a pulley i0 having a conveying belt 1 l thereon for conveying predetermined quantities ll of macaroni delivered by the weighing device to a wrapping machine or to any other location for the usual packaging. The shaft 9 also has a pulley H with a belt l5 thereon extending about a pulley I6 on shaft H. The shaft I! has a pulley IS with a feed belt is thereon adapted to receive and deliver macaroni to an inclined chute 20 leading to the receptacle of the weighing device 2i. The belt is has cleats 22 on its outer surface and extends over a pulley 24 on shaft 25 and aboutan idler pulley 26 on shaft 21. Thus the motor 2 operates continuously the conveyor H which receives the macaroni delivered by the weighing device 2| and also the conveyor l9 which receives the macaroni delivereci to it from the storage bin and transfers it in small quantities, preferably one or two sticks at a time to the weighing mechanism.

One of the problems encountered in the automatic handling of macaroni is to prevent breakage of the sticks and to prevent clogging of them. It is quite dimcult to remove macaroni from a bin in small quantities for these and other reasons. In the present machine, a bin 28 is shown for receiving quantities of macaroni 29 in bulk. One side 30 of the bin is inclinedand leads down to the delivery opening. The adjoining side is closed by a gate 35 slidabl in guideways 32. The gate is resiliently pressed toward its closed portion by a spring 34 at its upper end held in. position by a member 35 attached to the bin. Macaroni under normal operations would tend to clog at the mouth of the opening in some instances and in other instances to flow out too by a rod 40 to an eccentric 4| on the driven shaft ll. As the shaft I'l rotates, the rod 40 reciproamazes cates and in turn oscillates the bell crank 88 causing the dog 88 to engage the projection 42 to raise the gate 8|. The gate is returned'to its lower position by the spring 84 when the dog 88 is moved in the opposite direction. In this manner, the gate 8| is opened and closed at intervals to prevent clogging of the macaroni. The spring 84 which returns the gate to its closed position is sufllciently resilient to avoid or at least minimize the breakage of the sticks of macaroni.

The macaroni delivered from the bin falls on a member 44 pivoted on a shaft 45 and sloped downwardly toward the conveyor belt I8 for delivering the macaroni thereto. The end of the member 44 has a brush 48 which permits the cleats 22 on the conveyor belt I8 to pass and pick up sticks of macaroni, preferably one or two at a time. It too great a quantity of macaroni is delivered to the pivoted member 44 so that an excess amount rests against the belt I8, there is a tendency for breakage. In addition, the sticks of macaroni may become disarranged, which renders the operation more diillcult.

In order to stop or reduce the delivery of the macaroni when a quantity has accumulated, a counterbalance weight 41 is threaded to the member 48 forming an extension of the pivoted member 44 on the opposite side of the pivot 45. Stops 48 are provided on opposite sides of the weight 41 to limit the movement of the member 44. A mercury switch 50 is secured to the member 48 so that the globule oi. mercury when the weight 41 is in its lower position and the chute or member 44 is in its upper position, is at the left hand of the mercury tube so that it is ineffective to close the electric contacts 52. However, when an excess amount of macaroni is delivered and becomes effective upon the chute or member 44, the weight 41 rises and engages the upper stop 48. In this position, the globule of mercury 5| moves into the opposite end of the tube and closes the contacts 52. The contacts 52 control the electric circuit through wires 54 and 55 leading to the electric magnet 56 mounted on the bell'crank 88. The electric magnet has its core 58 connected to the dog 86. When the circuit is closed by the mercury tube 58 through the magnet, the core 58 or the magnet pulls the dog 88 to the left in opposition to the spring 88. This renders the dog 36 inefiective upon the gate 8| and the gate is moved down toward its closed position by the spring 84 which stops the flow oi' macaroni from the bin.

As the conveyor l9 continues to remove macaroni fromthe member 44 the quantity thereon is reduced to a point where the weight 41 drops against the lower stop 48 and the mercury switch 58 thereupon opens the circuit through magnet 88. The spring 88 renders the oscillating dog 88 eflective to raise and lower the gate 8|. In this manner, macaroni is delivered from the bin 28 at a predetermined rate and is not permitted to accumulate in excessive quantities, which would complicate the operation of the machine.

In order to deliver predetermined quantities of macaroni to the conveyor I, a weighing mechanism 2| is provided. This mechanism comprises a shaft 6| having its ends mounted in bearings 62 (Fig. 2) and having a beam 64 extending on one side thereof with a weight 65 threaded thereto. The position of the weight on the beam determines the quantity of macaroni delivered before the beam is raised. Suitable set screws 66 and 8! limit the upward and downward movement oi the scale beam 84. A receptacle 88 is operatively secured to the opposite end 68 oi the scale beam extending on the opposite side or the pivot or shaft 8|. Hence when the amount of macaroni on the bin 68 reaches a predetermined amount, it raises the scale beam 84 about the shaft 8| The bottom of the receptacle 68 is normally retained closed by a gate lll pivoted at 1|. The gate I8 is operated by an electric magnet 12, mounted on the part 88 of the scale beam, through arm 14, link 15 and bell crank 16 rotataibly mounted on shalt 5|. The upper end 11 of the bell crank is operatively connected to the core 18 of the magnet 12. The core 18 is retained in the position shown by a spring 19. circuit through the magnet is opened, the gate 18 is closed so that the receptacle may receive and retain macaroni. The control circuit for the magnet is through the mercury switch secured to the scale beam 84 and wires 8| and 82. When the scale beam 64 reaches its upper position in contact with the upper limit stop 66, the globule of mercury 84, which normally closes the contacts through wires 85 and 88 in the opposite end 01' the switch, moves to the opposite end to close the contacts through wires 8| and 82. The closing of these contacts operates the magnet 12 and draws the core I8 to the left in opposition to spring 18, rotates the bell crank 16 about shaft 8| and moves the gate 18 from its full line position to its dotted line position to drop the macaroni from the receptacle 68 onto the conveyor belt II as shown at l2.

It is important to obtain accurate weights, because, where packages are sold in large quantities, a slight increase in the weight of macaroni delivered to the package means a substantial loss in the run of a year. On the other hand, if the weight is too light, the customer is being cheated. In addition, the Government is likely to condemn the packages as being underweight or misbranded, which will occasion a substantial inconvenience and loss to the manufacturer as well as a reflection on his reputation.

In order to increase the accuracy of the device, there is provided a magnet 88 mounted on the bracket 89 to operate a control gate 90 adapted to be moved from full line position to dotted line position to engage the lower end of the chute 28 and stop the delivery 01' macaroni to the receptacle 68 of the weighing device. The gate 98 pivoted at 8|, is connected by arm 82 to the core 84 of the magnet which is urged toward its downward position by a spring 95. A circuit through the magnet 88 is controlled by wires 85 and 88 leading to the mercury switch 88. The inclination 0f the mercury switch is such that the globule oi mercury 84 normally closes the contacts 85, 88 when the beam 84 of the scale is in its lower position, that is, when it is in contact with stop 51 as shown in Fig. 1. The gate 80 is then in its ineii'ective position. When the scale beam starts to rise, the mercury globule will open the contacts 85, 88 and close contacts 8|, 82, causing the magnet 88 to allow the gate 88 to close thus stopping the flow or macaroni to the scale receptacle 88. Thus, when the scale beam starts to rise, the flow of macaroni to the scale is stopped, thereby accurately controlling the weight of the macaroni delivered by the weighin mechanism. Ordinarily, there is ample time for the macaroni to be dropped from the scale bin before the circuit through magnet 12 is opened by switch When the.

80, permitting the spring I! to close the gate II. If additional time is required, a, delayed operating magnet may be used, or any other suitable means for obtaining the necessary timing of the operations.

While various types of belts may be utilized, the preferred form of conveyor belt 69 is illustratcd in Fig. 4. lreferably the belt comprises two widths of cloth or fabric I stitched together at intervals as shown at 06, with metal strips in"! enclosed between them. The metal strips have tabs M8 bent outwardly to support strips illil preferably extending substantially the full width. of the conveyor. The strips ills be spot welded or otherwise secured to the members M8. The preferred construction is sufficiently sturdy for the purposes and at the same time, the cloth gives a resilience and flexibility which tends to minimize breakage of the sticks of macaroni.

ilnother form of mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 5 for delivering macaroni from a bin to the conveyor E9. in this construction, a bin has inclined sides for receiving macaroni delivery of the macaroni is controlled by a ill which may be adjusted in position by means 01'' a handwheel 9! threaded at 58. A member 95) piVOlJECi at lllll is sloped downwardly toward upwardly inclined conveyor belt The con veyor belt picks up small quantities oi macaroni and delivers them to the inclined member s or shown in Hg. 5). The pivoted member t) oscillated by means of the member Wt havln ro ler i192 thereon engaging the irregular c on shaft ii. The up and down movement or e member tilprevents clogging at the gate zll d also at the conveyor belt The embo went in Fig. 5 is an alternate construction, the embodiment in Fig, l is preferred.

in the operation of the machine macaroni delivered to the bin 28 in quantities. The is normally oscillated to prevent clogging a substantially uniform stream of macaroni delivered onto the pivoted member all lead-hag to the upwardly moving conveyor belt l 9. The Si is oscillated by means of the eccentric ll effective upon bell crank 38 and dog 38 to raise and lower the gate. When an excess of macaroni has accumulated on the inclined member id, it

drops down raising the weight ill which turn I operates the mercury switch to close the circuit through the magnet 56. The magnet Elli with= draws the dog 36 and permits the gate fit to close under the influence of spring 34, thereby stopping the flow of macaroni from the bin until amount of macaroni on the member N is reduced sufficiently for the member 44 to return to its normal position under the influence of the weight $1. The conveyor I! having cleats 22 delivers the macaroni onto the inclined member 20 which in turn delivers the macaroni to the receptacle 68 of the weighing mechanism 2i. When a pre-= determined quantity of macaroni accumulates in the receptacle 68 it counterbalances the weight 35 on the scale beam thereby raising the scale beam. The mercury switch thereupon opens contacts 85, 86 and breaks the circuit through magnet 88 which permits the gate 90 to move from its full line position to its dotted line position under the influence of spring 95, This stops the flow of macaroni to the receptacle 88. When the globule of mercury reaches the opposite end of the tube 80, it closesthe circuit through magnet H2. The magnet 12 through the link mechanism l6, l5 and "moves the gate ll from its full line position to its dotted line position, thereby permitting the macaroni to fall from the receptacle 58 to the conveyor II. The scale beam then drops to the position shown in Fig. 1 and the circuit is closed through the magnet 88 which opens the gate 90 to repeat the cycle.

lit will be seen that the present machine provides an improved mechanism for delivering macaroni at a substantially uniform rate from a bin or receptacle. The mechanism minimizes breakage of the macaroni and clogging of delivery openlugs. Excess deliveries are prevented and a steady stream oi macaroni is supplied to the feeding conveyor. The delivery of macaroni to the weighing mechanism is automatically stopped upon the movement..or the scale beam, thereby providing greater accuracy in weighing. The machine is simple construction, easy to operate and fully capable oi segregating and accuratelyweighing quantities of macaroni. The electric parts are simple and the units are easily replaceable. The machine is fully capable of operating continuously over long periods.

The term macaroni is used herein to include macaroni, spaghetti, noodles and products of that general nature. its various other changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention and without sacrificing any or" its advantages, it is to be under stood that matter herein is to be interpreted illustra ve and not in a limiting sense.

f described my invention, 1 claim: a device of the class described, the corn- .on of bin for holding sticks of macaroni the like, gate for controlling the transverse how of sticks of macaroni from the bin, means for oscillating said gate transversely of the sticks prevent clogging of the macaroni. a chute to which the bin delivers macaroni, and means controlled by the load on the chute to maize the oscillating means ineffective.

In a device of the class described, the comhination ot a bin for holding sticks of macaroni and the like, gate oscillating transversely of the sticks for controlling the transverse flow at sticks of macaroni from the bin, means for so oscillating the gate, automatic means effective through the oscillating means for closing the gate transversely of the sticks when an excess quantity of macaroni has been delivered therefrom.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination ot a receptacle for macaroni and the like, a gate for controlling the flow of macaroni from the receptacle, a spring normally tending to close the gate, an oscillatory member for moving gate in opposition to said spring to prevent the macaroni from clogging, a pivoted member yielclably held in position for receiving the macaroni delivered from the receptacle and electrical means responsive to the position of said yieldable member for rendering said oscillatory member inefiective upon the gate when the amount oi macaroni delivered exceeds a predetermined amount. a

In a device of the class described, the combination of a receptacle for macaroni and the like, a member forming an opening for delivery of the macaroni from the receptacle, means 'for oscillating said member to change the size of said predetermined position, whereby an excess of pivoted member. and means responsive to said change in position for rendering said oscillating member ineffective and for reducing the size of said opening.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a bin for transversely delivering macaroni and the like, a gate for controlling the transverse flow of macaroni from the bin, an inclined member for receiving the macaroni delivered from the bin including a bristle edge to support the macaroni transversely, a conveyor belt inclined in an upward direction moving past the lower end of said inclined member and including cleats overlapping the bristle end to remove the macaroni from said inclined member and deliver it to another position.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a bin for holding sticks of macaroni and the like in transversely disposed position, an inclined lower and movably mounted wall member forming one side of said bin, means adapted to impart a vibratory motion to said inclined wall member to thereby facilitate transverse alignment of said macaroni sticks and movement thereof substantially in said relationship toward and through a discharge opening of said bin, a chute for receiving aligned macaroni sticks from said bin and movable in response to a predetermined weight thereof, and means operativeiy connecting said chute with said movably mounted wall member to make the movably mounted wall member inefiective thereby to stop the flow of macaroni through said discharge opening upon deposition of an excess weight oi macaroni on said chute and corresponding movement of the chute.

ALDO R. CURIONI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

Number Re. 11,503 368,811 561,522 792,880 804,459 807,362 861,077 878,847 1,088,441 1,134,669 1,134,688 1,325,704 1,326,117 1,377,399 1,497,576

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Wood July 9, 1895 Childs Aug. 23, 1887 Richards June 2, 1896 Casey June 20, 1905 Ellingwood Nov. 14, 1905 De Long Dec. 12, 1905 Bedell July 23, 1907 Williams Feb. 11, 1908 Morrow Feb. 24, 1914 Chiniquy Apr. 6, 1915 McWhorter Apr. 6, 1915 Scott Dec. 23, 1919 Thomas Dec. 23, 1919 Conte -L May 10, 1921 Molins June 10, 1924 Carter Oct. 27, 1925 Molins Oct. 23, 1928 Merchen Sept. 17, 1929 ONeill Nov. 12, 1929 Knight July 28, 1931 Zeigler July 19, 1932 Mullendore Oct. 11, 1932 Ryan et al. Nov. 30, 1937 Mason et al Dec. 13, 1938 Harmon Aug. 20, 1940 Bleam Dec. 24, 1940 Rapp Jan. 13, 1942 Francis Mar. 17, 1942 Lieberman June 16, 1942 Guest Sept. 1, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Australia 1934 Great Britain 1914 Great Britain Apr. 1, 1932 

